The U.S. men are favored for basketball gold at the Paris Games but many challengers await them

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

There is one goal, and it’s always the same goal for USA Basketball. The only acceptable result from these Paris Olympics is another gold medal.

And the most recent gold was one of the toughest to get.

At the Tokyo Games three years ago, the U.S. trailed Spain by 10 in the quarterfinals, trailed Australia by 15 in the semifinals and beat France by only five in the gold-medal game. It was yet another reminder that in the international game...